FLOOD04440

• County: Statewide
• Community: All
• Stream Name: All
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Colorado Flood Map Modernization Business Case Plan - March 2004
• Date: 3/1/2004
• Prepared For: FEMA
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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Executive Summary

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Infroduction

For more than thirt~ years the Clllorado Water Conservation Board ((\\'eB) has participated in
the preparation of tloodplam maps and in the fomlal rc,"ie\\' and a1'1'ro\"31 of tloodplain
infomlJtion reports. The cweB Floodplain "tappmg Program and Floodplain Designation and
Approval Program have long been comt'rslOnes of Colorado's o\erall program of tloodplain
management. The eweB understands well thai current and accurate tlolld hazard maps provide
the basis for effectiw tloodplain managt.~mt'nt. Throughou! Colorado. tloodplain intonnation has
heen prepan:d by many local. regional. stale. and federal agencies. eWeB has fonnally
designated and appron:'d much o1'lhal information.

Included in Colorado's tlnoJplain infonnatiLln library an: the Fc-Jer3l Emergency ~lanagement
Agency's (FE~IA 's) Flood Insurance Rate .\laps (F1R~1s). These maps are recognized as
important tools for 1100d hazard mitigatIOn in the United States. Unfortunately. much of the
Iloodplain int'onnation in Colorado and in the other 49 states. including many of FE~IA's maps,
has become outdated, Signiticant arcas of Colorado. and of the entire country remain unmapped
or inadel.juah:ly marped. CweB's floodplain ,\1apping Program has been steadily addressing
the state's mapping needs. Fortunately. the nec-d for upgrading floodplain infonnatinn has been
recognized at the national Icyd, and substantial tinancial help is now being provided [0 expand
Colorado's ctTorts. To address this nationwide need, the President's budgc-t for Fiscal Year (FY)
2003 included 535! million for initiating FE\lA's national ,\!ulli-Hazard ~lap :Vlodemization
Program, with an FY '03 amount actually appHl\'ed by Congress for the Program of 5150
million. Similar or higher funding levels arc pmposed for subsequent tiscal years, including the
appropriation of S200 million fix ry 20()4 by Public Law (P.L.) IOS-90. The CWeB's
Floodplam 1\1apping Program will incorpt1rate !\lap Modernization activities in Colorado,
allowing a major increase in Ihe resources C\\'CB can devote (0 meeting Colorado's tloodplain
map update neeus.

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Current CWCB Pro ram

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Increased Quantity
> Improved Quality
Enhanced Partnerships

Communi Partici ation

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Pr02ram Summary

This 2004 Business Case Plan (Plan) for the State of Colorado scrws as the Stale's "notice of
interest" to participate in Flood ~-lap ~fodemilati(ln activities. This Plan was prepared to assist
the cweB wilh identifying statewide map update goals and objectives and to assist FE\lA in
the development of regional and national plans for implementing the \-lulti-Hazard \lap
~\'lodcmization Program. The specitic steps eWCB \\'ishes to take on to expand its existing
Floodplain .\lapping Program and the role that Colorado intends to play in completing the
additional mapping activities is summarized below. includmg the ways that these activities \vill
be managed and performed. This Plan also identities mapping priorities and outlines an
approach for addressing these priorities,

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Colorado Ru<;jne<;<; Case Plan - .\Iarch 200..$

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